Fear Effect: Sedna

I am really glad I bought this at huge discount for just 2 Euros. Boring gameplay which didn´t know if it wants to be a shooter, strategy or stealth game. But all feel broken or just unfinished. Story is B like, but better than the gameplay. When you are playing FE:S you ask your self a lot if the developers wanted you to enjoy the game or just make you angry playing it at every turn. Only good thing about the game is the cellshading graphics, which give the game distinct style and feel. Definitely don´t buy for full price and consider just watching the story on youtube to spare yourself the suffering gameplay.

So I really like this game despite its terrible flaws. First off, this is a legit Fear Effect game. It manages to capture the essence of that series quite well, which has me excited for the upcoming Fear Effect Reinvented. The biggest issue with the game is that the devs haven't managed to make up their minds whether they want to make a twin stick shooter style game or an X-Com style tactical strategy game. This blending of genres simply doesn't work. The AI, rushing your mindlessly would have worked well in a shooter type game but not in a slower paced, tactical scenario. As it stands the combat gameplay is simply terrible. Additionally the voice acting, while not THAT bad, feels a little stunted with characters not always portraying the correct emotion and tone. Nevertheless, those are the only flaws with the game. Everything else, including presentation (graphics, music, sound, story) is great IMO. You have to understand that this game had a very limited budget (funded by kickstarter), and the fans demanding Sushee to port the game onto consoles has definitely impacted the quality of the final game. Hopefully, Fear Effect Reinvented comes out nice. I mean, the original game was fantastic. All they need to do is to upgrade the graphics and revamp the tank controls. Here's hoping the don't F it up unnecessarily. Fingers crossed.

I saw the reviews, I saw the gameplay, but I figured maybe things would be different if I played the game. But Sedna is just bad. The graphics are fantastic...but that's literally it. Real time combat and stealth is finicky and just not fun thanks to twitchy controls. There's little feedback so plunking away at baddies with guns or special abilities is unsatisfying and it's difficult to tell if you're actually doing anything. You can pause the game eventually but your commands work simultaneous to the enemies so no real strategy is possible. The voice acting is grating. The puzzles don't make much sense. I'm disappointed: I wanted this to be a pleasant surprise but it feels like something that didn't get enough tender loving care in terms of being a game so much as being a pretty looking interactive fan-fic novel.

Never played the original 2 as I always hoped it will be released on PC one day. Also I am not a big fan of isometric games. Nevertheless, I had the pleasure on playing it on the PS4 first, also at a heavy discount. While I did manage it, it is better on PC when you have full mouse control. The style is nice and I was excited to see the next cutscene. But the voice acting is just dreadful. No emotions in any of the stressful situations or any situation as such. It's like the actors were just requested to read the lines out. Also this must be the worst French- and Aussie accent I have ever heard. The tactical option is more of a joke. Yeah, you can direct each character where to go and who they should shoot but the aftermath does not change that they still get shot at and just stand still after following their given path. Stealth is alright at the beginning of the game but later on it is more action driven. The AI is not very good as they midlessly run into your fire, occasionally take cover. And don't get me started on the underwater level. That is by far the worst part of the game with its quick healing monsters who still damage you regardless hitting air and incoherent where to go at times. Plus the character you play shoots slowly. Regardless the negativities listed, it is engaging to keep playing. The romance between Hana and Rain is alright but heard that it was more daring in the previous titles with their sexual desires. Characters as such are alright and written well enough that you wont forget their names asap. The story is cheesy but interesting enough. The soundtrack is very good that it was worth getting the collectors edition, which was a dollar more. It is an OK game and I wnoder how the the remake or remaster will be like as it is an interesting universe.